DI Ch 110

“Would you like to give me a drink to celebrate the housewarming?”

“Really?”

“But it is used for ornamental purposes. Don’t drink it.”

“Okay.”

Then, just take a sip and keep it for real ornamental purposes. But if I leave it for ornamental purposes, he’ll notice it right away. Tae Seong-je even said I shouldn’t look at it. What should I say? Should I just keep it a secret? I waited until he came out and wrapped the vodka he handed me in a newspaper and put it in my bag.

“Now, this is this month’s rent. I’ll give you the first month in cash to make you feel more comfortable.”

“You don’t have to give it to me.”

“It’s not much. Consider it pocket money. Take it quickly.”

The envelope was thick for just pocket money. I was about to refuse and give it back, but I couldn’t. Woo Ji-min’s attitude was firm. Unlike me, who wasn’t particularly concerned about money, Woo Ji-min was clear about work and life. Understanding his perspective, I didn’t say anything more and put the envelope in my bag.

As I stood up with my much heavier bag on, there was suddenly a knocking sound. We looked at each other at that sound. It was then.

“Ji-min-a.”

Was this a horror novel? Kang Moo-hyun’s voice came out of nowhere through the front door before Woo Ji-min could even ask whether anyone was coming, and before Woo Ji-min could shake his head. We were both taken aback by the friendly and soft voice and lowered our voices.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. No, how does he know and come here? I never gave him the address.”

“…I think there’s something wrong with this house.”

Everything about this house was nice, but there seemed to be a curse that if you invited guests, those who weren’t invited would show up one after the other. It happened to me when Tae Seong-je appeared on the same day as Park Kang-woo, and then Seo Seung-joon appeared when Tae Seong-je came.

“Wow. It gives me goosebumps. How did he know? I didn’t tell anyone.”

I wished he hadn’t opened the door, but his hand was quicker than my words. The door swung open loudly, revealing Kang Moo-hyun. Oblivious to my presence, he scratched his head with an innocent expression. One thing was clear—the lab coat hanging on Kang Moo-hyun’s arm. That was undoubtedly Woo Ji-min’s.

“What’s going on? How did you know I was here?”

“I took you home when you drank with the people at the cafe. You don’t remember?”

Woo Ji-min’s expression shifted as if something was coming back to him. He furrowed his brows and muttered, “I don’t like alcohol.”

“… I don’t like alcohol.”

Now was not the time for such statements…

“Take one more for yourself.”

Ah, then it’s better for me. I quickly took out a bottle of vodka that was sitting on the dresser. I made eye contact with Kang Moo-hyun through the crack in the door. His slightly distorted face looked rather amusing. Taking advantage of his expression, I poured the soju that I hadn’t thrown out yet onto the sink in one gulp.

From their talk about the café, it seemed they were discussing a company dinner. I remembered how Kang Moo-hyun had blurted out that he’d gotten so close to the boss that he’d come to his part-time job’s dinner party. And that day, Woo Ji-min drank so much that he couldn’t remember how he got home.

Woo Ji-min tightened his grip on the doorknob and spoke.

“So?”

“I came to return the clothes you left behind.”

He could have been given it to him at school. However, considering how Woo Ji-min immediately walked away when he tried to get close, it would have been quite difficult. Woo Ji-min probably thought the same thing, but instead of reacting harshly, he grabbed the lab coat and went away.

“Yeah, thanks, but I have a guest right now.”

Even though it was clear I had already prepared to leave, I sat back down in my chair without realizing it. Kang Moo-hyun glanced at me as I sat with my backpack on my back, then returned his attention to Woo Ji-min and began speaking. The tongue moved smoothly as it attempted to persuade Woo Jim-min to let him in. I was used to being treated like a person who wasn’t here, so I just checked my phone to see if there were any messages.

“Ha.”

It seemed like their argument had come to an end, and Woo Ji-min’s reaction wasn’t good. Maybe he lost. As expected, he pressed his temple as if it hurt before turning around and speaking to me.

“Seung-won, I’m sorry.”

“Yes.”

I replied before he could finish talking. I skillfully stepped in between the two people blocking the entrance and continued speaking naturally.

“I have an appointment anyway, so I’ll come home in the evening. It’s a little late. Please eat dinner first.”

“You’re doing it again.”

It was a scolding remark asking people not to joke around, but this was how it would sound to others who did not know them. He’s coming late again. It seemed as if sparks flew out of Kang Moo-hyun’s eyes as if he had heard it that way.

I wasn’t sure what was going on. Anyway, it seemed like I seized the opportunity and successfully interrupted again today. A sense of calm returned to my mind. Just as I was about to open the back seat and get into the car,

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I forgot my wallet, wait a minute.”

Remembering that I left the wallet in the bag where I had put the diffuser, I went back into the building. When I entered the password and went inside, I saw Woo Ji-min standing against Kang Moo-hyun, who was further into the room than before and had his arms crossed defensively.

He was standing near the entrance and approached me with his hands relaxed.

“Why. What did you leave behind?”

“That wallet. Could you please check the bag from earlier?”

“Wait for a sec. Ah, here it is.”

“Thank you.”

“Hurry up. Turn around. I’ll put it in for you.”

As I turned around, he put the wallet back into my bag.

“Did you leave anything else?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Okay. Be careful. … I have nothing more to say to you, so why don’t you go too?”

The words that followed were cold and indifferent, perhaps because they were being addressed to Kang Moo-hyun. I thought I didn’t have anything more to worry about, so I went down to the first-floor common entrance and was about to go, but I stopped when I heard footsteps. When I turned around, I saw Kang Moo-hyun with a cold expression. There was a tense energy as if something was about to explode, but he calmly spoke.

“What’s this act?”

His voice was more restrained than usual, but surprisingly, the reaction wasn’t dramatic. I looked at the floor while rubbing the back of my neck, then raised my gaze and looked at him again. Pretending to live together when we don’t even don’t even share a place… It seems like everything was clear. It seemed that everything was obvious. If I was going to be found out so quickly, I wondered if it was worth it.

“Is it noticeable?”

Kang Moo-hyun scoffed with his hand tucked in his coat pocket. He tilted his head slightly, retracted his smile, and opened his mouth in a twistedly.

“You look quiet, but it’s different when you talk.”

“Same with you, Sunbae-nim. You also have a different appearance than your personality. Do you enjoy picking on someone who’s quiet?”

I’d gotten into fights before, but not like this, so I confronted him confidently. Kang Moo-hyun, who had been standing there silently with an imposing expression, gazed at me with indifferent yet fierce eyes.

“Did you hear what I said then?”

“I heard it with my ears.”

Without any intention of yielding to each other, the conversation remained stiff. I was muttering to myself that we couldn’t communicate because it was like talking to a wall, but when I realized too late that this was a psychological battle, I narrowed my eyes.

“I honestly don’t understand why you’re doing this. Unless you’re Ji-min Sunbae’s ex-lover, I don’t see any reason for this behavior.”

“…”

“You’re just expressing your liking. It’s nothing more.”

It’s on a completely different almost nauseating level than having a crush on one of your colleagues.

“Persuasion comes from empathy, not from emotions. Forcing your emotions as if they’re the most important thing is not appealing. Why are you doing this when you clearly know that Ji-min Sunbae is going through a hard time? Please consider the other person’s feelings.”

I left the place after saying that. There were no footsteps behind me, yet I got into the car nervous. It felt like the words I spoke turned into an arrow and stuck in my heart. I rubbed my tingling chest. There were times when I put my feelings first, and many people got hurt.

And it was an ongoing situation. I kept remembering them holding my hand and asking if their son was okay. Even though it seemed like I could now hold their hands, it felt uncomfortable. Was it guilt?

In this situation, what kind of guilt was there again? I made palm prints on the window to clear my mind. It was hard for me to even figure out what I was feeling, but seeing Kang Moo-hyun assertively pushing forward without hesitation was impressive in a way

How was he able to do things with such confidence? I wish I could try it myself.

I wanted to get some fresh air, so instead of heading home, I sat in a neighboring café with a drink in front of me and looked out the window. The streets were crowded with people. Among them, I noticed some people wearing a thick trench coat instead of a light cardigan or outerwear.

Why was everyone in such a hurry? After sitting absentmindedly for a while, I returned the half-sipped drink and headed home. When I got home, there was a huge tree in the living room. It was a real tree. In a daze, I put my bag down on the ground and slowly walked around the tree.

The huge tree was already decorated with light bulbs. When I lit them up, the small lights sparkled like stars, making the room bright. Since it was larger than an ordinary tree, the sparkling scale was also amazing. When did this happen, and who brought this to me?

There’s no way he got home at this hour. Perhaps he told the employees to move it. Thanks to that, my low moods gradually improved. I wanted to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere for a long period, so I planned to leave it alone until January, or even February.

I brought an ion drink from the kitchen, poured a glass, returned to the tree, and looked through the ornament box. There were two large boxes filled with decorations like stars and balls. I tried hanging baby angels and making constellations out of large and small glitter-covered stars.

“Seo Seung-won.”